The Golden 22: Frankie Edgar and MMA's championship evolution

Rocky Balboa’s heart and hard work transformed him from unknown bum to an unlikely champion. Edgar’s lightweight title run solidified he was always to be divisional king – a key piece in evolving the championship expectations of an 18-year-old sport – who just so happens to be known for heart and hard work.

Fewer than 18 months into his pro career, Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) – a Toms River, N.J. native with a 5-0 record – entered the UFC on short notice after missing the cut for “The Ultimate Fighter 5.” Gray Maynard, later Edgar’s “Bully” foil, was one of the top prospects on “TUF 5.” Meanwhile, “The Answer” set aside a fever to upset contender prospect Tyson Griffin at UFC 67 in February 2007. Thus begins the story that earned Edgar the “Rocky” tag from UFC president Dana White.

The anomalous wrestler, who cuts only a handful of pounds to make weight, continued his undefeated run until Maynard snapped his three-fight octagon winning streak, handing the Clarion University wrestler his first career defeat in 2008. Edgar rebounded with a three-fight win streak, but despite a win over former titleholder Sean Sherk, he lacked fan-favorite momentum for a title shot. That was due in part to opponent Matt Veach, a late replacement for Kurt Pellegrino. Edgar’s victory over Veach in 2009 came off as a requisite victory instead of a performance to seal his No. 1 contender’s status. Nevertheless, Edgar’s 6-1 UFC record punched his ticket for an April 2010 date with 155-pound king B.J. Penn in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112.

The challenger’s speed beat “The Prodigy” in a controversial five-round title bout, affixing Edgar, an undersized lightweight – and a comfortable featherweight and capable bantamweight if he ever journeys to become the UFC’s first three-division champion – atop the division for 687 days.

Embattled in back-to-back rematches with Penn and Maynard, Edgar overcame being the underdog in his first two title defenses by tying the divisional record for title defenses with three. It culminated with his fourth-round knockout of Maynard this past October in their trilogy bout. All but that fight, which settled the score following a 2011 Fight of the Year draw, went the full 25 minutes.

The victory placed him alongside an elite class of titleholders in UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, who have avenged the defeats on their record. Then Benson Henderson stopped Edgar from a divisional record fourth title defense via unanimous decision this past month at UFC 144.

Between capturing the belt from Penn and dropping it to Henderson, Edgar reigned over the UFC’s lightweight division for 22 gold-standard-setting months. There were only three competitive classics (i.e. not counting one-sided contests such as Randy Couture-Tito Ortiz) to go the distance in the 11 years between the UFC instituting five-round title fights and Edgar besting Penn: Couture-Pedro Rizzo I, Quinton Jackson-Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida-Maurico “Shogun” Rua I. Edgar had at least three competitive classics alone in his 22-month span (Penn I, Maynard II and Henderson).

During Edgar’s run at the top, the crop of other championship competition was as fruitful as ever: Anthony Pettis-Benson Henderson, Jose Aldo-Mark Hominick, Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber II and – just 22 days before Edgar dropped his belt – Carlos Condit-Nick Diaz. True to his blue-collar style, it is Edgar’s consistency that sets him apart.

The greatest contribution of Edgar to the sport thus far is in his main difference from 205-pound champion Jon Jones. “Bones” notched a perfect 4-0 in 2011 by systemically destroying champions Rua, Jackson and Machida in three title fights while never going the distance. Edgar, on the other hand, took 43 minutes spanning two bouts to finish Maynard that year. The trademark heart and tenacity he contributed to the UFC during a reign characterized by back-and-forth five-rounders (opposite Penn, Maynard and Benson Henderson) let us know what to look for in 25-minute contests.

In short, “The Answer” and his world-class dance partners foreshadowed what we will witness for years to come, defining a five-round MMA title fight as a three-act narrative relatable to boxing’s 12-round tales. Expect this from 155-pounds and lighter divisions. The lower the weight, the fewer knockouts – and the more heated, strategic and well-rounded title fights we can expect regularly. The heavier weight classes are capable of producing exceptional title bouts to the final bell, though with less frequency.

The rapid history-making at lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight – 145-pound champ Jose Aldo joining the five-title-defense club, Dominick Cruz positioning himself to join with a victory vs. Urijah Faber on July 7, and the UFC’s first flyweight champion to be crowned – is due to the divisions still being in the developmental stages. Lightweight in its current UFC incarnation is just five years old, flyweight less than a year. There will always be champions so far ahead of the No. 2 fighter in the weight class, and that should be celebrated for its brilliance. But so too should Edgar’s showcasing of the razor-thin margins that championship contests are decided on as judges learn the nuances of scoring (such as a 10-8 or 10-10 round to force a draw).

Fighters such as Jones, Pat Curran and Ronda Rousey have learned enough MMA to perform at a championship level in three years or fewer. That is the amount of time it would take an exemplary Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor to achieve the mid-point purple belt. An athletic but underdog combatant such as Edgar will take seven years to reach his prime. What Edgar and his counterparts are doing leads to one overarching conclusion: The demand for five-round fights is in.

Henderson-Edgar II arrives later this year with the most compelling premise for a rematch possible in combat sports: an underdog champion turned underdog challenger attempting to recapture his gold from a titleholder hellbent – in perspective and performance – on fulfilling a legacy of his own.